


you're the one i want

by allisonattheorpheum



Category: Julie and The Phantoms (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Fluff, Marriage Proposal, The Boys Are Alive, characters are aged up, everyone knows julie is in love except for julie herself, i'll never stop using taylor swift songs as inspiration, luke is persistent, sunset swerve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-20
Updated: 2021-01-20
Packaged: 2021-03-12 06:29:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28880988
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allisonattheorpheum/pseuds/allisonattheorpheum
Summary: julie had a few of her own shows in those months, too. she only saw luke at one of them, but she knew he’d been at more. after one, about seven weeks ago, where she had been the local opener for a band on their national tour, she’d been scrolling through instagram and saw a new post from luke (julie had eventually clicked the follow button instead of just lurking). the picture was of her, on stage, head thrown back as she belted out the lyrics. the caption saysthis girl is incredible. how cool would it be to collab with her?! #sunsetjulie?julie had laughed and hit the like button. without thinking of the wrath of flynn, she’d left a comment:in your dreams, beanie boy.even as she had written it, she knew it held little weight.(or julie joins a band and then falls in love with luke patterson)
Relationships: Flynn & Julie Molina, Julie Molina/Luke Patterson
Comments: 26
Kudos: 256





	you're the one i want

**Author's Note:**

> title and inspiration from “paper rings” by taylor swift.
> 
> thank you to [lauren](https://molina-patterson.tumblr.com/) for being my biggest cheerleader while writing this, as well as to [alexandria](https://archiveofourown.org/users/merceralexs/pseuds/merceralexs) for being just my biggest cheerleader in general since i've started writing again.

**one**.

julie is nineteen the day she meets luke for the first time. the café is loud and the smell of coffee and vanilla candles burning on every table overwhelms her senses. there’s a band playing up on the stage, three guys singing about it being n _ow or never_. flynn nods her head to the music next to julie, asks, “they’re pretty good, right?”

julie agrees, watches the lead singer kick his leg out over and over as he sings, like he just physically cannot keep it from moving. “gonna be tough going on after them,” she says, biting on the straw in her water glass.

“ _please,_ jules,” flynn says. “you could go on after the beatles or lady gaga and still keep the crowd’s attention.”

julie laughs and puts her glass down, adjusts the collar on the cropped leather jacket she found hidden among her mom’s things. it was custom made, the back embossed with dahlias and roses, her mom’s favorite flower and name. “do i look okay?”

flynn wraps her hand around julie’s wrist. “julie molina, exactly who are you trying to impress?”

“no one,” julie says, peeling flynn’s fingers from her skin. “just don’t wanna look too, i don’t know, boxy or something?” she can’t keep her eyes off of the singer on stage, brown hair shaggy and flipping outwards under a navy beanie.

“boxy, right… ” flynn trails off, follows julie’s gaze towards the band. “you look great and you’re going to sound great, like always. that guy won’t know what hit him.” 

julie performs a new song called “out of body,” something slower and vocally impressive. flynn stands right next to the stage, eyes wide and with a smile that could blind someone, and as the song comes to a close, julie hears her shouting, “that’s my girl!” sometimes she forgets how lucky she is to have a best friend like flynn, a ride-or-die and sink-or-swim best friend.

“thank you so much,” she says, in acknowledgement of the applause echoing throughout the café. she scans the crowd, lifting her hand in recognition when she sees some of her fans (she can never wrap her head around the fact that she _has_ fans, even though flynn, as her social media manager, reminds her of it all the time). 

she has to stop herself from staring when she sees them, the band from before, standing in a spot almost identical to where she and flynn stood earlier. the singer looks up at her, clapping, and he says something to his bandmates. the tall one in a pink t-shirt, the drummer, nods excitedly, and julie can’t help but wonder what was said. 

as a few guys from the café move her keyboard and microphone off of the stage, julie steps down to where flynn is waiting. “that was amazing, jules!” flynn said, wrapping julie in a hug. “that song _needs_ to be on the next ep.”

“thanks, flynn,” julie says. 

before she can say anything else, three guys worm through the crowd and walk up to julie and flynn. flynn’s eyes fly wide open; she turns to julie and mouths _oh my god_. julie rolls her eyes.

“you’re julie molina,” the singer says. “and we want you to join our band.” he gestures towards himself and his two bandmates. 

julie blinks, wonders if she heard right. “join your band?” she asks. “sunset swerve, right?” she had already been psyching herself up for her performance at the end of theirs, but had heard their name from a few people in the crowd. 

the guys, in unison, groan. “sunset _curve_ , actually,” the drummer says. “i’m alex.” he holds out his hand and julie shakes it, dazed.

“and i’m luke,” the singer says with a smirk. “this is reggie.” he points to the bassist beside him, who is staring up at the ceiling, mesmerized by something. his cheeks are red and, as he hears his name, he smiles and says, “tell your friends.”

“is he high?” she asks, thinking about how she’s seen some of carlos’ friends act when they come over, giggly and out of it.

“nah, he’s just reggie,” luke says, slinging his arm around reggie’s shoulders. julie tries to avoid the way his hazel eyes seem to be sparkling, the way his lazy smile scrunches his nose a little bit.

“about the julie joining your band thing?” flynn’s voice startles julie. “not happening.”

“just hear us out,” luke says. “we’ve been looking for something to take us to the next level, and we think that’s you. the ep you put out a few months ago was _amazing_ , julie. we think we’d only make each other better.”

“thanks, but i’ve never even heard of you guys, and i’m more of a solo act,” julie turns to leave, ready to get her gear packed up.

“wait,” luke says. he reaches out a hand and touches it to julie’s arm, his fingers calloused and rough against it. it sends a heat through her body. “just think about it, okay? it’d be incredible to work with you.”

julie smiles, looks at all three of the guys. “alex, reggie, it was nice to meet you. i’m flattered, luke, but i’m pretty happy where i’m at. let’s go, flynn.”

as she walks away, she swears she hears luke say something like, “she’ll change her mind.”

*

later that night, as julie watches a movie with carlos and her dad (they have a family night every week, even though julie and flynn’s apartment is nearby and her studio, where she spends practically every day, is in the backyard), she can’t stop thinking about luke’s offer. flynn had laughed about it the entire way back to the studio, talked about how ridiculous it was and how the band had some nerve to even ask her. julie, though, couldn’t get the band out of her head. more accurately, she couldn’t get luke out of her head.

ray and carlos are entranced by the movie, arguing over whether or not the bad guy is going to get away with it, so julie unlocks her phone, opens instagram. she types _sunset curve_ into the search bar and there they are, all _we’re too cool for this photoshoot_ in flannel and beanies. julie scrolls through their feed, clicks on a picture of them at their album release party earlier that year. in the picture, they’re hanging off of each other like monkeys, alex holding reggie in a headlock, and julie feels a little twinge of _something_ in her chest. she loves performing, loves being on stage, but it can get lonely under the hot lights.

the guys are tagged in the photo and julie heads to luke’s profile. his bio is basic ( _sing and strum in sunset curve. our album_ crooked teeth _out now!_ ) and his profile picture is one of him on stage, his left leg kicked out like she’d seen him do at the open mic. she opens one of his posts, four guitars lined up under a sunset curve tapestry (the caption reads _those are DEFINITELY my six strings_ ), and thinks about how he’d fed the crowd by spinning the blue one around his body.

a little further down, there’s a selfie. he’s wearing a cut-off vintage band tee and she makes a real effort not to look at his arms and focuses, instead, on the guitar pick in his mouth. there’s a comment from alex -- _you’re gonna choke and i won’t save you next time_ \-- and julie smiles. she likes the picture, keeps scrolling, and finds post after post of this guy, shaggy hair and lazy grin. after awhile, she goes back to the top and sees that he’s uploaded something new since she started her tour of his profile. it’s him, standing at a microphone, with another one beside him. he frowns at the camera and points towards the empty mic. it’s captioned _sad microphone seeks new singer. think about it #jm #pleaseeeeeeee_. 

her finger hovers over the heart for what feels like a lifetime.

“earth to julie,” carlos says, poking her feet with the remote. “dad’s going to bed and you went full space cadet.”

she shakes her head and puts her phone down, stretches her arms towards the ceiling. “sorry,” she says. “movie couldn’t hold my attention. night, dad.” 

ray leans over the back of the couch and kisses the top of her hair. “see you when i see you.”

“that’ll be, like, tomorrow,” she says, laughing. 

“oh, julie,” ray says as he’s halfway up the stairs. he mimes typing on a phone. “flynn says delete instagram. goodnight!”

julie rolls her eyes. “remind me to change your number and _not_ give it to her.”

ray only chuckles in response. 

hours later, after a lecture from flynn about the dangers of insta-scrolling (“do you _want_ that guy to think you were researching him? he’ll never give up now!”), julie is in bed, eyes shut but unable to sleep. her eyelids are a film screen, her mind a projector, and she watches herself on stage with sunset curve. luke and the guys might be on to something, but they’d have to work for it.

 **two**.

julie is twenty the night she joins a band with luke, reggie, and alex.

*

in the seven months between meeting him and finally agreeing to his proposal, they’d developed something of a friendship. luke would show up at different open mics, sometimes to play with sunset curve and sometimes just to watch her. after her performance, without fail, he’d walk up to her and ask her if she’d put any more thought into joining his band. the answer was always no.

julie had a few of her own shows in those months, too. she only saw luke at one of them, but she knew he’d been at more. after one, about seven weeks ago, where she had been the local opener for a band on their national tour, she’d been scrolling through instagram and saw a new post from luke (julie had eventually clicked the _follow_ button instead of just lurking). the picture was of her, on stage, head thrown back as she belted out the lyrics. the caption says _this girl is incredible. how cool would it be to collab with her?! #sunsetjulie?_ julie had laughed and hit the like button. without thinking of the wrath of flynn, she’d left a comment: _in your dreams, beanie boy._ even as she had written it, she knew it held little weight.

then, a month ago, she had turned the tables, went to a sunset curve show to see what else they could offer when they weren’t limited to the stage of a café. their performance was loud and non-stop, the guys never lost energy as they went from song to song. after the show, julie messaged luke on instagram: _good show tonight._ within minutes of sending it, she was brought backstage. alex, luke, and reggie were messing around in the green room, but as soon as she walked in, they were focused on her.

“that was a great show, guys,” she told them. “why have you been wasting time at showcases when you’re capable of _that_?”

“luke’s just been trying to impress you,” reggie said.

luke clapped a hand over reggie’s mouth and laughed nervously. “we just wanted to, ya know, explore new things,” he said. reggie groaned and alex laughed from the couch he was stretched out on. luke glared at him. “and, yeah, _we_ wanted to get your attention. it worked, don’t deny it.”

“you’ve had my attention,” julie said. she put her hands on her hips. “but i’m not so easily convinced.”

luke walked towards her and mirrored her stance. “this isn’t a game, julie,” he said. “we could be legends together.”

she tried not to twist that into an insult; she knew she could be a legend on her own if she worked hard enough. 

“i’ll see you around,” she said. “band or no band, i don’t think any of us are going anywhere.”

as she turned to leave, luke said, “i’m not giving up yet.” julie smiled back at him.

“i don’t want you to.”

*

there’s a party at carrie’s house and, since she and flynn started dating recently, julie feels like she’s obligated to go with her best friend. the music is loud; carrie’s new single with her band, dirty candi, echoes through every room of the mansion. julie gets a coke from the kitchen and makes her way to the living room, where crowds of people dance and sit, the almost constant flash of phone cameras finding a permanent place in her vision.

flynn and carrie are dancing across the room; carrie’s spinning flynn around, her braids going everywhere as a result of the motion.

“they’re cute, huh?” julie recognizes the voice immediately. she didn’t notice luke walk up next to her but, now that he’s said something, just being in his vicinity warms julie’s skin a little. she’s grateful the lights are down so he can’t see the deep flush of her cheeks.

“what are you doing here, luke?” she asks.

“hey, no agenda tonight,” he says, lifting his hands up in mock surrender. “turns out that your best friend is dating alex’s best friend.” he points at carrie and flynn. “and they look pretty busy, so i guess you’re stuck talking to me.”

julie laughs despite herself. she knows more than enough people at the party, in one way or another, and could go talk to any of them, but there’s a magnetic pull to luke that’s gotten stronger and stronger as their game of tag has gone on.

“so, how’s it going?” she asks, realizing they haven’t ever had a conversation that didn’t revolve around music.

“things are good,” luke says. “could be better, if… ” he trails off and julie tries to ignore how cute he looks with his face drawn into a pout.

“i thought you said you didn’t have an agenda tonight,” she says, tapping her index finger against her lips. 

“i know, julie, but it’s all i can think about. i know i haven’t given up but you keep giving me reason to think you’re interested.”

julie sighs and takes a sip of her coke. some of the bubbles land in her cupid’s bow and she wipes them away, watches as luke’s eyes linger on her mouth.

“i _am_ interested, i can’t lie,” she says. “but i worked so hard to get where i am now, i don’t want to have to start over.”

luke plays with one of his rings, twists it around his finger. “it’s not starting over,” he says. “hear me out. we already have fans that will listen to whatever we do, right? we can do a mix of stuff, rework your songs or keep them how they are, write some duets, whatever. and if it doesn’t work out, which it _totally_ will… you can go back to being julie molina, superstar.”

julie considers his words. he’s right, she has a solid fanbase, and even flynn wouldn’t argue with him on that. it _would_ be cool to hear some of her stuff with more than just a piano, and if it sounded horrible, it’s not like she couldn’t switch the arrangement back. she thinks of what her dad would tell her, of what her mom would tell her if she were still alive. they would tell her that she is young, and she is talented, and she is capable of anything she sets her mind to. they would also tell her to seek out whatever would bring her the most joy, whatever would make her smile day in and day out; she thinks that working with luke, reggie, and alex would bring her more smiles than she could count.

“i have a few conditions,” she says, before she can talk herself out of it.

“anything,” luke says, bouncing on his toes. “whatever you want.”

“flynn comes with me. she’s incredible with promo and social media presence… not like you need any help with that.”

luke smirks, leans in closer. “you do know i can see every picture that you like, right?”

julie clears her throat, pinches her thumb and index finger together and mimes zipping luke’s lips, tossing the key away. “second condition. i’m not joining sunset curve -- ”

“then what are we even talking about?” luke interrupts, throwing his hands in the air.

“just listen! i will be in a band with you, but i’m not joining _your_ band. this is a collaborative thing, right?” luke nods, keeps his mouth shut. “we’re all trying something new, so let’s start fresh. i pick the name.”

luke shakes his head, but there’s a smile ready to spread across his face. “anything else, boss?”

julie looks past luke, looks out the huge windows into the backyard. the pool is uncovered, but abandoned, no one wanting to use it in the winter chill of a malibu night.

“i’ve had to put up with you for _months_ ,” she says, putting on a mask of innocence, batting her eyelashes. “you can make it up to me by jumping into the pool.”

luke laughs, takes off his beanie and hands it to julie. “we’re gonna have a lot of fun together, aren’t we?”

*

luke cannonballs into the pool before julie has the chance to say she was mostly joking. he surfaces and throws his head back to get the hair out of his eyes. “you coming in or what?”

julie walks to the edge of the pool and kneels down, holds out luke’s beanie. “do i want to get hypothermia? i’ll pass. besides, i think there are some bandmates we need to talk to.”

she should have seen it coming. luke swims to the side, reaches out for his beanie and, in one smooth motion, pulls julie into the water next to him. the shock of cold against her skin is unreal, goosebumps instantly forming over her entire body. 

“luke!” she yells. “are you trying to get me to quit already?”

he laughs and pushes some hair away from her face. his fingertips are icicles on her cheeks. 

“well, i would say it was an accident but i’m not sure you’d buy that,” he said. “think of it as a bonding exercise or something.”

his eyes hold onto julie’s and she thinks if he looks hard enough, he could see the thoughts running through her mind, could notice the way she’s telling herself over and over again not to look at how his shirt is clinging to him like it’s painted on, how droplets of chlorinated water drip off of his jawline like crystals.

“i said yes to a band,” she says, teeth starting to chatter from the cold. “i’m in a freezing pool with you. is there anything else you want from me tonight?”

luke is still looking at her. she can see the subtle shiver of his shoulders and, for a second, she considers pulling his body into hers. he blinks, eventually, and gives her a lazy smile.

“are we interrupting?” somebody asks. julie turns her head and sees alex, reggie, and flynn standing by the pool. she moves to the side and hoists herself up, feels the weight of her clothes now soaked through.

“what’s going on, jules?” flynn asks. she has a fluffy towel in her hands and julie takes it, wraps it around her body.

she looks back at luke, now sitting on the ledge, shaking his hair out like a dog. alex and reggie take towels to him and julie can’t help but notice the way they’re so close, the way they make a family all on their own. she feels a swell of gratitude in her chest -- she gets to be a part of that, too.

“hey, guys,” she calls out. they turn to look at her, luke’s face shining with excitement. “you better get used to seeing me around. i’m in.”

reggie lets out a cheer, pumps a fist in the air, and alex smiles and nods towards her. luke tries to wrap his arms around their shoulders but they shake him off as soon as the cold touches their clothes. 

julie turns to flynn. “you’re in, too,” she says. “i told him i wouldn’t do this whole band thing if you weren’t there to show off our good sides on instagram.”

flynn tilts her head, reaches out and puts her hand on julie’s shoulder. “let’s go get your body temperature up,” she says. “you’ve gotta be out of your mind.”

julie laughs and follows her best friend back into the house. she’s freezing, and dripping pool water with every step she takes, but she thinks of what her future has in store for her, has in store for _her band_ , and the warmth of that alone is enough to take some of the chill out of her bones. 

**three**.

julie realizes she is in love with luke on the day after her twenty-first birthday. with carlos out of the house, ray wants to give his room a makeover, and enlists julie’s help in painting it. when she’d told luke what her plans were for the day, he offered to come over and, knowing ray would be doing more critiquing than actual painting, she’d accepted.

“how was your party, _mija_?” ray asks, as they lay out a tarp and use the paint cans to anchor it in place. 

“it was good,” julie says. “really fun. flynn and carrie went all out with the planning.” luke coughs pointedly from behind her and she turns to look at him. “ _what_?”

“did you tell him about, ya know, that one gift you got?”

ray arches an eyebrow and looks between julie and luke. “what gift, julie? did some secret admirer go all out?” he relaxes his eyebrow and then waggles both of them.

“no, dad, it’s… ” julie turns to luke again. “i was going to tell him tonight, but you just can’t keep your mouth shut, can you?”

luke raises his hands in defense and steps back. his brows pull downward in seriousness. “jules, i’m sorry. i figured you would’ve told him right away.”

julie sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. the paint roller in her other hand drips cerulean onto the tarp. 

“does anyone want to fill me in?” ray asks. julie can feel two sets of eyes on her, both waiting for her next move. she puts down the roller, a puddle of paint appearing beneath it as soon as she does.

“dad,” she says, lifting her head to look at him. “i promise i’ll tell you tonight, when we call carlos. but can you give luke and me a second?”

ray looks between the two of them and lays his paintbrush in a tray. “okay,” he says, walking a few steps towards the door. “but why am i getting the feeling that i’ll have to call victoria for help?”

julie laughs and rolls her eyes. “it’s nothing you can’t handle yourself, _papi_ , trust me. i’ll come down in a bit.”

once ray is gone, julie fixes her gaze on luke, arms crossed across her chest. “you remember when i told you about boundaries, luke? when i said i’d be in a band with you but you don’t get to be digging into my personal life?”

he takes a few steps towards julie and, even though she’s annoyed with him, she can’t help but notice the way he’s constantly bouncing on his feet. “of course i remember,” he says. “but this isn’t really personal stuff… it’s band stuff, right? and, last time i checked, i was part of the band.”

“you’re right,” she says, exhaling slowly. “i’m just worried to tell him. a record deal is a _huge_ thing and i don’t know how long we’ll be gone for. carlos is in seattle and if i leave… ” she trails off, runs her hand through her curls.

“if you leave, ray will be alone,” luke finishes for her. his voice is soft, the way it gets when they’re writing and he’s offering up a lyric that’s straight from his heart. 

she nods and feels her eyes fill with tears. “he hasn’t been alone since mom died.”

luke reaches out, puts his hand on julie’s elbow. her skin blooms under his touch, goosebumps escaping from under his hand and running up the length of her arm.

“but recording an album isn’t forever, julie,” he says, almost whispering. “you’ll always come home and he’ll know that.”

julie looks into his eyes, wills hers not to break and spill over. “i know,” she says. “but for right now, can i just be mad at you for bringing it up?”

luke grins and tucks a rogue curl behind her ear. his finger brushes against the helix and she shivers. “you know you can never stay mad at me for long.”

“we’ll see about that.” she steps back and picks the paint roller back up from where she sat it. “you said you’d help, so, come on.”

for about seven minutes, the painting goes relatively smooth. she shows luke how to start in a _w_ pattern to avoid streaks and he stands on his tiptoes to try and reach the highest parts. (“do you want a step stool?” “no, julie, i _don’t_. i got it.”) 

it’s only when they’re finally making real progress that the mischief starts. julie’s focused on the part of the wall that she’s working on, making sure she doesn’t extend her pattern too much to get paint on the trim. she sees luke out of the corner of her eye, notices him dip his paintbrush into the tray. she doesn’t think anything of it until something cold and wet splatters onto her arm. she looks down, sees a fresh birthmark of blue.

“luke patterson,” she says, wiping the paint from her arm. she looks at him, hand like it belongs to a smurf resting on her hip. “did you do that on purpose?”

he laughs and shakes his head. “that might be your color, though,” he says.

julie does it before she thinks twice, just shakes the roller in his direction and watches as azure flecks land over his skin. the tip of his nose looks like jack frost, like it could summon snow with a twitch. 

luke gasps in exaggerated shock. “i can’t believe you,” he says. “i _accidentally_ get some on your arm and you retaliate like… like _this_?”

“it slipped?” julie tilts her head in innocence, smiles sweetly. she wants to reach out and trace the blue stars across luke’s cheeks, turn them into constellations only she knows about. that realization surprises her. 

she watches as luke bends over, dips his thumb into the paint tray. she watches as he steps closer to her, so close she can see the tiny lines starting to fan out around his eyes like the slow crack of ice. she watches as he lifts his hand and, when he rests his palm against her cheek, her inhale is quick. 

“i was right,” luke says. he runs his thumb along her cheekbone and the paint is cold against her flushed skin, hot with anticipation. “it really is your color.”

julie’s heart skips a beat. she and luke have been close before, have shared the mic during a performance so many times, but nothing like this. she flicks her eyes to his and he smiles.

“luke?” she asks. his name isn’t much more than the quietest exhale but he hears it.

“yeah, boss?” luke’s thumb moves across her cheek, brushes against her lips.

“i... um, i... ”

it’s not often that julie is without words; she kisses luke like she’s searching for them in his lips. 

she drops the roller she forgot she was holding, feels the paint’s mist against her ankle, knows it will be covered in tiny blue polka dots. her hand reaches up behind his neck and she slips her thumb underneath the chain resting there. luke deepens the kiss, pulls her closer to him with a palm on the small of her back. julie shivers at the touch.

luke pulls back first and julie whines at the lost contact. he laughs, touches his forehead to hers. “i’ve wanted to do that for months,” he says.

“guess i beat you to it.”

luke laughs and wraps his arms around her, rocks her side to side. “yeah, you win, like usual.” he kisses her temple. “it’s not bad being the loser this time, though.”

*

later, after luke’s gone, julie heads downstairs to call carlos with her dad. as she reaches the stairs, though, she can already hear ray’s voice.

“i don’t know what gift they were talking about but i know there’s something between them. i’m her dad! you know i have that sixth sense, right, carlos?”

julie shakes her head and calls out, “i can hear you!” she goes down the stairs and heads to the kitchen counter, leans over her dad to wave at carlos, who smiles at her through the screen.

“hey, julie,” he says. “can you just tell us whatever you’re hiding? ‘cause i’d like to be able to talk to dad about other things at some point tonight, like the walk-off home run i had the other night.” he mimes swinging a bat, shields his eyes to watch the imaginary ball fly.

julie glares at her little brother. “well, since you have so many other pressing things to get to… ” she leans her head against ray’s shoulder and takes a deep breath. “julie and the phantoms have been offered a record deal. it would mean going to denver to put down an album.”

“are you serious?” her dad immediately turns and wraps her in a hug. on his phone, carlos is doing a celebratory dance. “that’s amazing news, julie! we knew you could do it.”

“yeah, way to go,” carlos says. “think you can introduce me to anyone famous?”

julie smiles and looks towards the floor. “it’s a huge deal, and i’ll have to be gone for a while, dad… ”

ray scoffs and holds his hand against his chest. “you’re worried about your old man being alone, huh? i’ll be fine, _conejita_. this is your dream! your mom would be so proud.”

julie thinks she can see tears shining in his eyes, and she feels some well up in her own, too. “thank you, papa,” she says. “and for the record… ” she looks him at him pointedly. “luke and i kissed today.”

“finally!” carlos exclaims, throwing his hands up in the air. 

ray hugs her again. “i told you i know these things,” he says. “when’s the wedding?”

julie rolls her eyes. “let’s make an album first, okay?”

julie’s heart is full; she has a family that supports her no matter what, a band and best friend who hype her up and have her back no matter what, and luke, who carries her music with him like the most precious of china, who fits into her life like he’d been there the whole time.

 **four**.

on the day julie decides to propose to luke, they are packing to go home for the weekend. she is halfway through twenty-two and julie and the phantoms have a break between legs of their tour. 

“i can’t wait to see you, jules,” flynn’s voice is loud in julie’s ear. “we can talk about how you’re fighting with luke and didn’t want to tell me.”

julie groaned, covers her eyes even though flynn can’t see her. “who told you?” she asks. “it’s not a fight, seriously, we’re just… he won’t agree with me that ‘stand tall’ works better as a closer.”

flynn laughs on the other end of the call and julie hears carrie say something in the background. “carrie says you’re right and that luke needs to remember who runs the show.”

“he’ll get over it. we’re switching up the setlist after the break and he’ll see right away that the crowd likes it more in the encore.”

“so, what are you going to do with your time at home?” flynn asks, changing the subject. “besides seeing me, of course.”

“i’m not sure,” she says. “see dad, obviously. maybe write a bit in the studio. i miss it there. and… ” she takes a deep breath. “i think i want to propose to luke.”

“you think _what?_ ” the question is a shrill shout right into julie’s eardrum.

“i love him, flynn,” julie says. “and i know he loves me. our connection, it’s so much more than just the music. it’s like our souls are tied together by a string we can’t see.”

“no one can deny you guys are soulmates, jules,” flynn says, her voice softening. “but you’re so young. doesn’t it seem a little fast?”

julie laughs. “my parents got married young and they did just fine, right? we’ve been dating for a year and a half. besides, it’s not like we have to rush into anything. we can have a _long_ engagement.”

flynn sighs and julie knows she won’t try to change her mind. “you’re right. i knew from the first time you met him, you’d be together. just promise me you won’t let this get in the way of your career, okay?”

“i promise, flynn. if the band thing fizzles out, then i’ll figure out what comes next. but i want you _and_ luke by my side through it all, whatever happens.”

“oh, i’ll be by your side,” flynn says. “and if he hurts you, he might get a swift kick to his,” she laughs. “do you even have a ring?”

julie doesn’t; she didn’t even think about it, but she woke up knowing that she wants to make this commitment to luke, knowing that it’s what this trip home is calling for. “i’ll figure something out,” she says.

“then who am i to stop you, girl? go get your man.”

*

julie was nervous the entire plane ride home, and she did a horrible job of hiding it from her bandmates. luke kept asking her what was wrong and she didn’t have an answer for him, just said it was going home jitters, which she knows he didn’t buy. reggie had a running list of everything that could be bugging her: luke didn’t kiss her goodnight, luke’s feet smell, luke missed a note in “edge of great” and she couldn’t let it go. alex had his own theory, hummed “here comes the bride” so low only julie heard it. when she glared at him to stop, he only smiled, gave her a thumbs up. _damn it flynn,_ julie thought.

when they landed, they all went their separate ways: alex to find willie, his boyfriend; reggie to the beach; luke to his parents’ house, with a promise to julie that he’d swing by the studio later that evening; and julie to see ray. when she arrived home, her dad hugged her, lifted her right off the ground, and immediately launched into a speech about all of the amazing things he has seen her do on tour. she hardly had a chance to get a word in edgewise. 

now, in the studio, julie is alone. she is sitting at the piano, thinking of how many times she had been in this exact spot throughout her life, with rose’s fingers guiding hers along the keys, and then, alone, trying to find her voice again. she remembers the first time luke and alex and reggie were in the studio. it was a few days after carrie’s party and they were looking through julie’s songbook, trying to find a few that would work with guitar and percussion. luke had poured over the pages like they were the epitome of literature, reciting lyrics to himself like things he needed to commit to memory, things he would never want to forget. 

julie’s eye catches on the couch, on a journal that had been tucked into the corner and forgotten. she slides off of the piano bench and walks over, picks it up delicately, like an unearthed artifact. she opens it and sees that it’s the first journal she and luke had completed together, full of julie and the phantoms songs, full of their combined stories. she flips to a page towards the back, one she remembers like it was written yesterday: “perfect harmony.” 

when they had written it, julie hadn’t yet realized her feelings for luke, but as she looks at the lyrics now, she wonders how she could have ever been so blind. she gets an idea, and carefully rips the page out of its binding. she tears away part of the song, leaving a strip of paper with the line _i never knew a love so real_ on it. as a kid, she and flynn had been obsessed with origami for a while, and julie lets her fingers remember those movements. after a minute, the paper has transformed into a ring, with the words _love so real_ visible on the top. julie smiles and tucks it into the pocket of her sweater. it weighs nothing but she takes comfort in knowing that it’s there, a part of her, waiting to become a part of luke, too.

*

luke gets to the studio at seven. julie had spent the time waiting with ray, of course, filling him in on what he didn’t see through their instagram profile, and telling him about her plan to ask luke to marry her. he was thrilled, unsurprisingly, so supportive of his daughter that she had to stand in the bathroom for a few minutes to dry her eyes. she had to return to her hiding spot a little while later, when he told her how proud rose would be of her, how she is watching her always, applauding julie through even the most mundane of things.

“hey, jules, are you sure i can’t go talk to ray for a little bit?” luke asks now, lounging on the couch with his feet on julie’s lap. 

“there will be plenty of time for that, luke,” she says. “i wanted to talk to you out here first, alone.”

luke sighs and sits up, swinging his feet onto the floor. “about the setlist, right? i just really think that -- ”

“it’s not about the setlist,” julie says, cutting his words short. “we can figure that out later. i just want you to listen, okay?”

luke nods and julie reaches over and takes both of his hands in her own, warm against hers, gone cold from nerves. she takes a deep breath, exhales slowly.

“we’ve had a really good couple of years together, right? i mean, we dropped everything we were comfortable with and started a new band. we opened for huge artists and recorded an album and now we’re on a national tour of our own. i know it hasn’t always been easy. i know i can be incredibly stubborn when it comes to my songs but you guys bring the best out of me every time we write and every time we play a show. _you_ bring the best out of me.”

julie’s heartbeat is so loud she thinks even ray must be able to hear it.

“i never thought we would end up like this or end up where we are. i used to get so frustrated with you because you wouldn’t just tell me what you wanted to do or what you were feeling. you get such a big head whenever we decide that one of your ideas works better than mine, and i used to hate that about you.”

“okay, i don’t think i like where this is going,” luke says, pouting and crossing his arms over his chest. julie laughs.

“we still need to work on communicating and you still have an ego, but i love that about you. i love every part of you. and all i want, all i _need_ , is you, being next to me. you once wrote that i was your brightest, burning star, but now, after everything we’ve been through, i know that you are mine, too. you’re my sun, your gravity keeps me right where i need to be. being in a band with you was the best decision i could have made, but falling in love with you… it was like an accident that i never want to apologize for. i’ll never apologize for loving you.”

she pulls one of her hands back and reaches into her pocket, closes her fingers around the ring. luke’s thumb runs idly over the top of her other hand and his eyes are wide, full of warmth.

“so, i wanted to ask you something,” she says, holding her closed fist in between them. 

luke nods and smiles, “anything.”

she opens her hand, the ring resting in her palm. “luke patterson, will you marry me?”

his eyes drop to the ring and then return to hers. “sounds good to me, boss,” he says. 

julie laughs, loud and bright, and she feels her nose scrunch, watches as luke’s does the same. luke picks the ring up and puts it on his finger and julie twists it to make sure he can read _love so real_ across the top. 

“you made this?” he asks, running his fingers over the paper. 

julie nods, lets some of her hair fall in front of her face, suddenly bashful. “i found our old journal,” she says. “i thought the song fit the situation.”

luke leans forward and cups julie’s face in his hands. “you’re everything i want, jules,” he says. “i love you so much.”

he kisses her and it’s like fireworks and standing ovations and every best day of her life wrapped into one. “i love you, too.”

\--


End file.
